This Console Generation’s 20 Most Beautiful Open World Games

GTA V – Grand Theft Auto V pushed the boundaries for what is possible on last gen consoles when it launched at the end of their lifetimes. Now, remastered for current systems, Los Santos looks better than ever before. The city area is incredibly detailed, the outskirts are varied, and the world is full of secrets to find. GTA V’s world feels like a living and breathing city and it makes the game even more enjoyable.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Witcher 3 – It sits at the top of many people’s best open world games lists, and much of that’ll be down to how it looks. Its setting is varied, with dense forests and meticulously designed towns, and the lighting is unrivalled. You’ll find yourself simply standing still in the game’s world, marvelling at how perfect the lighting system it, making each and every inch of the land you explore a sight to behold.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Assassin’s Creed Origins – The Assassin’s Creed games have always been lookers. Whether it be the bustling crowds of Unity’s Paris or the smog filled skies of Syndicate’s London, there’s always been something to marvel at. However, Origins recreation of ancient Egypt may be the best yet. The blue skies and orange sands looks stunning, especially in 4k, and the sheer scale of the map is impressive. It’s a step up in terms of visuals for the series, as well as being a step up for the gameplay.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Horizon Zero Dawn – We’ve seen some stunning PlayStation 4 exclusives over the past few years, but none are beautiful on the scale on Horizon Zero Dawn. From the snowy mountains and lush forests to the dusty canyon, Guerilla’s game is pretty in a variety of ways. The fast combat is fluid, with every animation being perfect. Try it in 4k with HDR on a PS4 Pro and you will not be disappointed.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Batman: Arkham Knight – Rocksteady’s Arkham games are beautiful is the sense of sprawling natural plains and vibrant colors, but rather in how it creates an atmosphere in its location. Gotham City is dark and moody, with neon lighting busting through the rain. The character and combat animations are wonderfully detailed too, adding depth to the city’s inhabitants and the story you play through.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Forza Horizon 3 – Racing games are usually incredibly detailed spectacles of speed and destruction, with the cars themselves usually being the center of attention. Forza Motorsport’s open world spin-off, Horizon, puts emphasis on the tropical location, however, with the third game transporting you to music festival in Australia. Jungles, beaches, open fields, and towns – there’s plenty to see in Horizon 3 and it all looks beautiful.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Far Cry 5 – Far Cry 5’s setting might not be as tropical as previous entires in the series, but it’s a near perfect representation of its real-world setting, Montana. Known as big sky country, Far Cry 5’s world features huge open fields, dense forests, and wide rivers, all of which are incredibly detailed. Also, the facial animations in the cutscenes are among the best you’ll see in gaming.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Watch Dogs 2 – The original Watch Dogs was a drab affair, with a dull, grey world, and lifeless protagonist. The sequel, however, took the story to San Francisco and added personality to the game through the beauty and variety of the famous city. It’s a wonderfully accurate re-creation of the Bay Area and beyond, with plenty of landmarks to go and see. The city also perfectly matches the quirkiness of the new cast of characters.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

inFamous: Second Son – InFamous: Second Son was originally intended to be a PS4 launch game, but it arrived a few months late, but you’ll still struggle to find a better looking game on Sony’s system. Of course, its re-creation of Seattle is pretty, but its Delsin’s power, mainly the neon one he shares with Fetch, that stand out. Firing blast of purple and blue light at night time is a sight to behold.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Compared to the likes of Horizon Zero Dawn and The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s world is quite understated and small, but that only allows for more detail. The bustling villages, sweeping hills, and vibrant woods offer plenty of places of explore or engage in sword fights as you progress from pleb to powerful knight.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

MGS 5 – Since it’s where most of the game takes places, you’ll probably mention it’s Afgan desert first when talking about the beauty of MGS V, but that’s not its limit. From flying fire whales in the early scenes to violent lense flares over giant mechanical monsters later on, there’s plenty of crazy things to see, and they all look excellent.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Sunset Overdrive – Sunset Overdrive is unlike any other open world game. You explore a place called Sunset City in the year 2027 and need to clear up the mess after FizzCo launched their new energy drink. The world is filled with mutants and you spend much of your time gliding along the rails that connect every part of the city. Explosions are everywhere and the futuristic world is filled with bright lights and unique creatures that pop constantly.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Middle-earth: Shadow of War – Middle-earth is a setting that’s been realised in many different forms of entertainment. The first game, Shadow of Mordor, looked great, but Shadow of War took it to the next level, creating a huge world that was filled with unique characters, all while keeping its intense atmosphere through its use of color. If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings world, Shadow of War will be a joy to play.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

The Division – The jaws of gamers around the world hit the floor when The Division was first shown off at E3. The swirling snow, bullet holes in car windows, and incredibly natural character movements where things they hadn’t seen before. It didn’t look quite as good at launch, but its post pandemic version of New York in winter is still a joy to look at and explore.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Final Fantasy XV – We waited 10 years for Final Fantasy XV to release, so it should be no surprise that it’s a beautiful game. A road trip isn’t a proper road trip if you don’t take in the sights, and it’s even better if you take on deadly enemies with those sights as the backdrop. FF XV’s world is varied, dense, and detailed, and it’s stunning throughout.

This Console Generation’s Most Beautiful Open World Games

Breath of the Wild – Unlike many of current generation open world games, Breath of the Wild beauty comes from its art style, rather than it realistic graphics. The world is full of secrets to stumble upon, lush meadows, and snowy mountains, each of which offer a different gameplay challenge. Much of the game’s quality comes from the design of the world, and a key factor of that is how is looks.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – The Nintendo Switch is the most powerful of the current generation consoles, so it can’t complete when it comes to realism. To overcome that, however, developers are using stunning art styles to make their games beautiful in different ways, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is one of those games. In the action-RPG, you explore Alrest, a never ending sea of clouds, taking on enemies and completing quests. Its unique style truly elevates it above the limits of the console.

Mass Effect: Andromeda – Mass Effect: Andromeda may not have seen the widespread positive reception that the original trilogy did, but it’s still probably the best looking game in the series. Much of that is down to the scale and variety of the planets you get to explore. From sweeping sand planets to cluttered space stations, each place you see is different. The horizons are filled with things you want to explore, and there secrets hidden everywhere. Space is, unsurprisingly, beautiful.

Nier Automata – NieR: Automata’s open world isn’t huge on the scale of the likes of Final Fantasy XV or Horizon Zero Dawn, using scale in different ways. There’s beauty in the size of the enemies and the details in the post-apocalyptic setting. Building have decayed for years, foliage has begun to grow on streets, and enemies can be found everywhere. There’s more to NieR: Automata than just an emotional story and solid action.

Destiny 2 – The impressive alien structures and powerful enemy weapons are impressive sights in Destiny 2, but it’s looking at things that are more familiar that are the memorable moments. Staring up at Earth while playing through the story is one of most beautiful single moments in gaming this gen. Bungie are masters at creating backdrops that hint at a detailed world beyond where you are.

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Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V pushed the boundaries for what was possible on last gen consoles when it launched at the end of their lifetimes. Now, remastered for current systems, Los Santos looks better than ever before. The city area is incredibly detailed, the outskirts are varied, and the world is full of secrets to find. GTA V's world feels like a living and breathing city and it makes the game even more enjoyable.